This Tony is a YawnerJune 11, 2017

Kevin Spacey Photos courtesy of Tony Awards Committee

Photo courtesy Tony Awards

TheaterJune 11, 2017

This Tony Awards is a Yawner

by Betty Mohr

He may be a good actor, but Kevin Spacey is not funny in a poor imitation of Johnny Carson, and not a touch witty as host of the 71st annual Tony Awards. Indeed, the awards ceremony began on a flat note, and continued throughout in one of the most lackluster, uninteresting Tony presentations in years.

The commentary from the winners went as expected. When Cynthia Nixon picked up her award for Best Featured Actress in Little Foxes, she said that the play was about “those who eat the earth—and those who watch them” which, she said, is especially relevant today. Of course, since the play is anti-Capitalistic, and written by Marxist Lillian Hellman (one of the richest playwrights of her era), the Leftist theater crowd roared its approval.

Furthermore, Stephen Colbert was a presenter, and as usual, the no-talent, late-night host made smarmy remarks about Trump in a locker room; and Bette Midler, who won for Leading Actress in a Musical, Hello Dolly!, thanked everyone in the world in one of the longest thank-you speeches at the Tony ceremony, and said people should come to see the show in these “terrible, terrible times” (her biased view of the Trump times).

​In addition: on an important visual to note, many of the Tony celebs were wearing blue ribbons, which indicate support for “Stand with the ACLU” campaign. This is the group that has been standing on street corners trying to get support to file lawsuits against the Trump administration and begging for signatures to impeach the president.

Some of the better moments of the televised Tony show include a mustachioed David Hyde Pierce singing “Penny in My Pocket” from Hello Dolly!; Kevin Kline picking up his third Tony for Present Laughter, and Patti Lupone and Christine Ebersol reprising their roles in War Paint, which premiered last year at the Goodman Theatre in Chicago before going on to Broadway.